Lower back pain can make you uncomfortable and sometimes it may be accompanied by excruciating pain. The pain occurs due to inflammation when muscles, joints, discs or ligaments at the back are injured. Lower back pain can be severe or mild. It could start all of a sudden or slowly and then get worse.
You could get the pain if you bend the wrong way, lift a heavy object, after playing sports or a workout. Sometimes it may come without any particular cause.
To get back on your feet again, here are tips to help you in treating lower back pain.
Figure out the cause of the pain
Back pain may occur because of strenuous lifting, bending the wrong way, twisting the spine when lifting, poor posture for long, moving suddenly causing a lot of stress on the lower back or when during sports. The pain commonly occurs when a ligament sprains or muscle strains. The pain can be sudden or it can develop over time.
If you know what is causing the pain, you can take appropriate preventive measures and treatment. For instance, you can take better posture, be careful when lifting heavy objects.
Home Remedy
There are many home remedies that can help you deal with lower back pain even as you use other methods. These can help to treat mild pain and reduce the effects of severe pain.
For instance, if you rest for a short period and avoid strenuous activities, it can help to improve the lower back pain. Just ensure you do not rest for too long since inactivity can make healing taking longer. Instead, just avoid activities that aggravate the pain. In case you get the pain after intense working out, minimize the intensity of workouts. If the pain is caused by standing for long, avoid activities that may require you to stand for long periods.
Heat and ice can also help to reduce the lower back pain. Use a hot water bottle, heat wraps or take a warm bath to help the muscles heal easily. In case of inflammation, use an ice pack to reduce swelling.
Embrace exercise
While too much exercise can be the cause of lower back pain, there are certain types of exercises that can help to manage the pain. These include stretching the low back, legs, hips and buttocks muscles as well as doing muscle strengthening exercises such as the McKenzie method.
Use medication
You can treat lower back pain using over the counter medication such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. These can help to alleviate the pain, although it may mean being less active for a while.
You can also use a lower back pain patch to help prevent or relieve the pain as you work out or lift weights. The patch has anti-inflammatories which help the body to recover and relieves pain. You simply need to put it on your lower back before a workout and in turn, it will help to reduce your post work out pain and inflammation. A lower back pain patch can last for 24 hours while preventing and reducing pain.
Massage
Massage helps to relax muscles and it can also help to reduce lower back pain. Studies have shown that massage, whether targeting a specific part of the body or general massage help to reduce the chances of getting lower back pain.
Photo by Sebastian Anthony 